Set me free
by FirePhoenixAce
Summary: After leaving his post as a vice admiral, Ace is now a guard at the prison impel down,what will he do when the infamous pirate Marco the phoenix gets captured an put in jail waiting to die? What will happend as they grow closer together while Marco's execution date is only around the corner? Watch as Ace is torn between his duty as a marine,and what his hearts truly wants MarcoxAce
1. Chapter 1

Ace hurried down the dark corridors as a excited feeling bubbled in his stomach, he had made everything in his power, which was a LOT, to get the night shift in the sixth level in the enormous prison.

There were very few guards that would willingly pick that shift for the simple reason that some of the times most notorious criminals were held there, and even if they were chained up and behind bars, it was hard not to feel uneasy down there.

It was usually used as a threat or a punishment to get placed down there, and the only reason Ace had willingly got himself in trouble was for the fact that there was an inmate that he really wanted to see, he could barely believe it when he heard the news from the excited Marines that brought him in a week ago.

 **Flashback**

"Oi Ace, have you heard the good news?"

I Frowned as I looked over their faces, good things hardly came with this guy being in that mood, Me and him have never liked each other, and probably never would.

"What, are they transferring you somewhere else so that I doesn't have to see you ever again? Because that sounds good to me" I answered coldly.

The marine smirked, pleased with something. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what.

"No, but I guess it would be nice not having to see you either.. although, the news is that I caught THE Marco the phoenix" he answered proudly, I quirked an eyebrow at this, "Marco the phoenix? The whitebeard pirate"? I thought.

"What, was he dead or something? Because that doesn't count" I said, I just couldn't help it, I HAD to tease him.

"No he wasn't! I saw him in a village, I ordered him to surrender, he refused stupid as he was and attacked me, and after a fierce full fight on life and death I successfully injured him and the rest is history." The jerk marine said, still smirking.

Another marine sighed, "Jones, we ALL know you didn't catch him, he was already injured when WE attacked, and the only reason we got a hold on him at all is because he fell into the ocean, probably due to his injury. He had no chance to fight in the first place" he said.

I broke down laughing at the look on The jerk's face. It was too priceless.

After a while I had somewhat calmed down, and stood up from the floor since I had fallen to the ground in uncontrollable laughter, and whipped away the tears forming in my eyes.

"Well well Jones, nice story there". I said still laughing a bit before starting to walk away.

"Make sure to keep to that story, I'd LOVE to see your face when whitebeard cut's your head off later because you took his first division commander" I said with a wink, seeing The jerk pale and looking at me with wide eyes I smirked and walked down the corridor, whistling bink's sake and already starting to plan a prank that definitely would get me to the sixth level, where I was sure a certain commander was.

 **End of Flashback**

I smiled as I thought of Jones reactions to the reminder of exactly whose crew the commander belonged to, and if the words would reach out to whitebeard that Jones had been the one to capture Marco, he'd be dead for sure. No matter what he said, he'd be no match for the Yonko at all, and honestly, It would be less believable if I fell in to the ocean and didn't turn into a hammer, than the fact than JONES of all people would have been able to capture the commander by himself. The man was a monster, well, from what he had heard. At least.

I turned a corner and hummed as I walked up to a door, pressed a few buttons, and pressed the door open.

The block was designed in that way that it could only be opened if you had the code to 3 different doors that led in to the cells, the elevator you took down to the room where you could sit and relax if you got bored with the death threats thrown at you, and the door to that room. All of this to make sure that even if someone miraculously got out of their cell, there was no way they would be able to escape.

It was a bit silly, I honestly couldn't understand why they needed all of this damn security, there where thousands of guards, and shouldn't the elevator and like, oh I don't know… one door maybe, be enough? But noo, 4 freaking doors and the elevator. It took way too much time for nothing to get through all of those damn doors in my opinion anyway.

"Finally here" I thought excitedly as I stepped through last door and was met by the marine who had the first part of the late shift.

"Ah, Ace! Your turn to keep these low lives company again?" The marine, Leo, if I remembered correctly.

I simply rolled my eyes and hummed before waving him off, already searching for the subject of my happy mood that had brought me here in the first place, ignoring the comments the pirates shouted at me.

"Hey, pretty boy come over here"

"Hmmm I'd really like a piece of that"

"Go back to your mother brat" i actually frowned at that one, thinking about throwing a small fireball at the man but decided against it, i had more important stuff to do.

It was at the end of the block, it was a bit darker than the rest of the level, his arms was chained to the wall above him, he was leaning forward, his head hanging hiding his face.

His purple shirt was torn and the skin that was showing looked a bit bruised.

I slowly walked closer, wondering if he was a sleep, of if he had passed out for some reason.

I looked him over again and frowned as I noticed a rather big bruise in the lower part of his stomach that was continuing down the edge of his black pants.

Yes, this man was a very infamous pirate with a bounty of 958,000,000 beri, and yes they were marines, but that didn't mean I approved on the little game the marines liked to play with the pirates. Namely, beating them up as much as possible without killing them just for the satisfaction.

To show them that the power now was in their hand's, and the pirate could do nothing about it.

It was so stupid, and I felt an uneasy feeling bubbling in my chest as I realized that this poor guy would have it worse than any other since he was who he was, I knew that feeling way to well, being who I am.

I was brought out of my deep thoughts as footsteps broke the "silence" and i looked to my right, seeing a couple of Marines walk down the corridor.

I frowned at the sight, the time had passed eleven by far, it was almost in the middle of the night, what were they doing here by this hour?

"Ah! Ace, didn't know you had the night shift"? A woman with blue green hair said, smiling.

"Vice Admiral Mojica, what brings you here"? I answered, looking at the Marines with a raised eyebrow.

"It's in the middle of the night after all".

The woman's smile widened as she looked at the pirate in the cell, and I understood, frowning but not saying anything.

What would I say anyway, nothing would make them not torturing this man, I would only get punished, perhaps even get discharged for defending a criminal.

"Fetch him, we don't got all night" the woman said before turning around, walking into a room they used for this kind of things, the idea was to get the other prisoners to fear them, another silly thing.

I would never understand why marines where so dead set on showing off their power, the people in here would never leave this place anyway, and if they did they'd be walking against their own execution. There was no need to play all power full and act like we marines were better as we beat the prisoners up.

They have no way to defend themselves, and only because they are criminals it doesn't mean they arn't human.

Treating any human like some of the marines did, it honestly made them the lowest of the low according to myself.

"It makes them no better than even the worst pirate ever could be, I wonder when they are going to realize that". I thought angrily and pressed my eyes shut as the man in the room let out a piercing scream drenched in pain.

"Man I wish he wouldn't scream" I thought.

It was about an hour later when they finally left the room, chained to commander to the wall once again and left.

As soon as the sounds of their footsteps disappeared I walked up to the cell and my eyes widened at what I saw.

The pirate looked like crap.

Bruises was already starting to show, his lip was bleeding, he had a big wound on his cheek, and over his chest, and he also had a few smaller cuts here and there, but they all bled quite a bit.

I wondered how the hell the man had kept his mouth shut, since i hadn't heard a sound since that first scream.

Suddenly the pirates head jerked up and looked right at me.

I felt a bolt of electricity go through my stomach and frowned as I saw the enormous black eye he had, he was breathing heavily and I could see that I was in a lot of pain and made a decision. I turned around and walked back to the other side of the corridor, put a few things in a bag took a key and walked back.

I opened and walked into the cell, i could feel him looking at me and looked back.

He still looked like he was in pain, of course, but still looked at me with a look as if he was saying, "What are YOU going to do, I'm not scared of pain, so bring it you bastard".

I rolled my eyes at the look and walked over to him after locking the cell behinde me and then sat down beside him, opening the bag.

I took out some of the food I had brought and put it in front of his mouth, he didn't eat it and kept on watching me with a now, bored look, since he probably had gotten to the conclusion that I probably wasn't going to hurt him, or he was a really good actor.

I sighed, a bit annoyed at his stubbornness, I knew he was hungry. They hadn't fed him since he was brought in, and that was like a freaking week ago!

"Come on, just eat will you" I said with an unimpressed voice.

The pirate didn't answer and raised an eyebrow; a slight blush appeared on his cheeks as his stomach rumbled.

"we both know you haven't eaten for days, and I KNOW you are starving, and that you want the food, so stop being stubborn and eat the damn food while it's warm". I said in a tired voice.

The pirate pressed his lips together and eyed the food, swallowed, and I could see the longing, the want and the hunger clearly in his electric blue eyes, he clearly wanted the food, so why didn't he eat it?

Pride? Maybe. But I'd be DAMED if this guy was going to starve because of that.

I smiled as I got a plan, it was evil and stupid I knew that, but I was ready to try any stupid idea at all if it could get the guy to eat something.

And I breathed in, and blew at the food I was holding, making its sent blow right in to the commander's face.

The commander shut his eyes as his stomach rumbled again and looked at the side and… was that drool on his chin? "Geeeezzz this guy is SO STUBBORN IT'S DRIVING ME NUTS" I thought and frowned.

"Oh come on. I know it sucks to be stuck here waiting to die, but just... just eat something okay your starving we both know that, and I don't want you to starve. Just because I work here doesn't mean I agree with everything, and starving people just because of what they are is one of them."

The commander turned his head and looked at the food with want in his eyes and swallowed again as his stomach rumbled once again.

" Marco, you have been tortured half the time you have spent here, and I'm not going to be a part of that by watching you starve to death, you know you want to eat it, you are drooling even, just lean forward and eat the food I'm offering, no as a marine, but as a fellow human being wanting to help another". I said in a serious voice looking at him.

Those words seems to be last straw for the commander as he leaned forward and ate the piece of food, making me smile a warm smile as the man almost started crying as he chewed the food and opened his mouth as soon as I brought the next piece up to his mouth.

I fed him around half the food I had brought for him, enough to feed 3 people, I knew he was still hungry, but his injuries really needed to be taken care of.

The commander looked at me as I took out the disincentive, a needle, and some bandage; he looked somewhat shocked as started to clean and tend to his wounds, but didn't say anything.

I realized that I hadn't once heard the man speak; I kind of wondered how the man sounded as I was putting some cream to the black eye.

As soon as I was done I started the feeding process until Marco shook his head to more food.

I smiled a little at the fact that the man for the first time in days wasn't hungry, and sent a mental kick in the butts to the people who had decided to let the guy starve.

That was just cruel.

"What jerks" I thought as I brought up the water bottle to the commanders lips, who drank greedily and I frowned, didn't they even let him freaking drink or what?

I stayed in the cell for the most part of my shift, only leaving to check on the other inmates.

I spent the most of the time talking, or feeding Marco, who happily ate the food since we both knew he wouldn't get any food for a while.

He stayed quiet the whole time, looking down in the floor.

 _At the end of the shift, as Ace left the cell and locked the cell door behind him and walked down the corridor, the man in the cell smiled, "Thank you" he whispered, too quiet for the guard to hear over the sound of the inmates screaming their threats._

 **-x-**

 **Marco's POV**

"Stupid, stupid STUPID!" I thought to myself, how could I ever be so stupid to get into this position?

The answer was easy, I had gotten injured in a battle with an enemy crew, it was very VERY rare for me to get injured at all because of my powers, but the bastard unfortunately knew haki and I had let my guard down way to fast.

Then those annoying ass marines had showed up during a storm and I fell overboard, resulting in being captured.

I thought I had been here for about a week, and I was tired, soar, and freaking STARVING!

I was so hungry that I barley felt hungry, It was more like my stomach had disappeared and been replaced with a black hole, demanding to be feed with whatever was small enough to fit into my mouth.

The only problem was that i refused to eat anything that they tried to give me.

Like hell i wanted to eat the marines food, that shit could be poisoned, not that it really mattered, since i am going to be executed eventually, but still.

Well, to be honest, the first few days no one had even bothered to even try to give me food, fine with me, i didn't want it anyway, even if my body said otherwise.

But then, my third day here I think, a young guard I hadn't seen before stopped in front of my cell, walking in and putting that amazing smelling food right under my nose.

Of course I refused to eat it, and eventually he left.

Then the procedure repeated itself until one day, I was coming back from being tortured again, and damn i was beat.

i just wanted to go to sleep, i was more starving than ever since i hadn't been eating for like a week, barley getting enough water to survive.

I felt someone looking at me and jerked my head up to see the young guard looking at me with wide eyes, anger shining in his eyes before he turned around walking away.

I looked after him, my heart beating rapidly in my chest, I kind of liked the young guard, he's the only one who seemed to look at me like I was actually human, and also the only one who actively seemed to try to actually keep me alive.

What I didn't understand was why.

I sighed and bowed my head.

"Alone again". I thought disappointed.

A few minutes later I heard a pair of footsteps, and I hoped it was the guard and NOT another jerk ass marine who liked to cause pain to pirates, I honestly didn't feel like getting another beating tonight.

I looked up as the person got closer "YES" I thought as I saw who it was.

But as soon as he opened the door to the cell I felt my heart drop, "Crap, not the food again" I thought as he sat down and opened the bag, took a piece of food and offered it to me.

"Come on, just eat will you" He said with an unimpressed voice.

I didn't answer and raised an eyebrow, I felt my cheeks warm up as my stomach rumbled.

"We both know you haven't eaten for days, and I KNOW you are starving,

And that you want the food, so stop being stubborn and eat the damn food while it's warm".

The guard, Ace said in a tired voice.

I pressed my lips together and eyed the food, swallowed; i really really, REALLY wanted to eat the food,

but being fed wasn't high on my to do list,

and i still didn't feel like eating anything the marines brought me,

even if it did smell good, and was being brought by the only marine who's presence i actually could accept.

Suddenly, the guard blew at the food, making the smell blow me right in the face. "That was just playing dirty" i though and i closed my eyes as my stomach rumbled again. I turned my head to the side and i could feel saliva drizzling down my chin, crap... was i fucking drooling? What the damn hell!?

"Oh come on. I know it sucks to be stuck here waiting to die, but just..

just eat something okay your starving we both know that, and I don't want you to starve.

Just because I work here doesn't mean I agree with everything,

and starving people just because of what they are is one of them."

I turned my head and saw the frown on the guards face, understanding that he was being serious. I swallowed again as my stomach rumbled and i looked at the food, it looked really really good, and smelled even better than good...

"Marco, you have been tortured half the time you have spent here,

and I'm not going to be a part of that by watching you starve to death,

you know you want to eat it, you are drooling even, just lean forward and eat the food I'm offering,

I'm not doing this as a marine, but as a fellow human being wanting to help another".

He said in a serious voice.

Those words were the final push i needed and i leaned forward and ate the piece of food.

"Holy shit this is good" i thought and i could literally feel my eyes tearing up as i chewed the

Food and the next time the guard brought a piece of food to my mouth i didn't even hesitate to open my mouth, having lost to the hunger.

The guard kept on feeding me enough to food for 3 people,

I was still hungry when he suddenly stopped and i was a bit disappointed even if i knew i should be grateful. i looked at the guard as he took a needle, disinfectant, and bandages out of the bag and was kind of shocked as he started to tend to my wounds. "Why does he care"? i wondered.

When he was done, he took out more food out of the bag, and to say i was happy as i realized that it was for me would be a big understatement.

He kept on feeding me until i shook my head to more food, and i was touched by the gesture, that he actually had been coming here every night trying to feed me, not giving up and finally i had given in, and he had fed me until i couldn't eat anymore, and not only that, he had taken care of the wounds i had, making sure they wouldn't get infected and he had even looked at my old injurie, the one that made me get captured to make sure it was healing nicely.

I was brought out of my thoughts as a water bottle was touching my lips and i drank eagerly. What could i say, i was thirsty as hell.

The guard stayed in my cell for the most part of the night, talking about everything and nothing, while feeding me now and then to make sure i ate all the food.

i didn't complain, after all, i didn't know when i would eat the next time so why not.

It was nice, to have some company, even though i stayed quiet while he talked, it took away the loneliness from being locked up like this.

Being alone this much wasn't really my thing, having 1600 siblings did that to you.

I wondered if the guard had the slightest idea how nice it felt having him there keeping me company i thought as the guard left the cell, it was the ending of his shift, and i closed my eyes and smiled.

"Thank you" I whispered as he walked through the corridor with the inmates yelling after him.

 **-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

 **Hi guys, hope you liked it!**

 **Please Review your opinions, and if you have any requests for the story, feel free to share them!**

 **Have a nice Day/Evening! =)**


	2. Chapter 2

Ace frowned slightly as he read the newspaper, it seemed like the whitebeards were turning the whole grand line upside down looking for their commander, it didn't seem like they had understood that he was in the prison yet at least, which surprised Ace a little, but then again, Marco was a strong pirate with an extremely high bounty, being captured by the marines was probably not the first thought they got, they probably thought that he was injured at some island, or worse. Dead.

"It must feel horrible to lose someone and not knowing what happened to them" Ace thought, also he didn't question their frenetic search, if it was Luffy or Sabo, Ace would have done the exact same thing.

"I wonder how Marco feels about this, if he even knows…" Ace thought, he just couldn't help but wonder how it felt to have your family looking for you while you sat awaiting death.

Ace kept this thought's up as he walked the long way down to the block where Marco was at, he was planning on feeding him a bit and tend to his wounds, he still hadn't decided if he should tell him about what his crew was up to though…

After Sengoku had discovered that Ace had been the one to take care of Marco he had put him in charge of Marco's health, Ace had thought he was going to get a big ass punishment and was so surprised when Sengoku agreed with him about at least make sure he dosen't starve to death or bleed to death, he WAS a whitebeard commander after all and no one really wanted his wrath brought upon them only because they didn't feed a guy.

The amount given was not much, it was only enough to barley keep him from starvation, Ace didn't like it, he was starting to look thin.

As Ace walked up to the cell Marco was occupying he frowned, he looked REALLY thin, also he was starting to look unhealthy pale and the wounds seemed to refuse to heal ,Ace knew this was a bad sign, it could mean that Marco didn't eat enough nutrients which meant that his wounds couldn't heal as they should, also that his body would have a hard time making up for all the blood loss.

Ace opened the cell door and sat down next to Marco, Marco looked miserable and didn't even look Ace's way, neither did he show any sign of even noticing the man entering.

"Hey, I brought food" Ace said quietly, when Marco didn't answer Ace started to get a bit worried, maybe he was so weak by now that he had passed out?

Maybe the Marines had gone too far with the starvation and torture that they had actually killed him?

As Ace kept his panicked rambling continue in his head, Marco slowly opened his eyes, looking down at the dirty cell floor.

"Do you think they miss me"? he asked quietly

"….huh"? Ace, answered after a few seconds of using all the intelligence he could master coming up with a good answer.

"my family… do you think they miss me"?

"Ohh… well"

"They haven't found me yet, it's been 3 weeks" he whispered.

I felt a pang of unease at the tone his voice had, it sounded almost defeated, and I didn't like it. It didn't fit him, he was supposed to be strong, right?

RIGHT!?

I sighed deeply and hit him over the head.

"Shut up damn it!"

I said in an annoyed tone, and as Marco looked at me with a hurt expression, I sighed once again.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I told him.

"Your family is looking for you all over the grand line. They are practically tearing it apart to find you." I looked at him to see his eyes wide with tears in them, although I could not tell if it was from happiness or sorrow.

"I didn't want to tell you, because they won't find you. There is no clues that you are being held here, and even if they knew, it wouldn't be possible to break in here and get you out in one piece. You are too heavily guarded. Also, your execution is to be held a secret until the very last minute to avoid confrontation or interactions". I almost whispered out the last part as I saw the hope in Marco's eves die out. I didn't know why, but it pained me to see him like this.

I wished I could have seen him in his full power, in his glorious days with the whitebeards. It must have been quite the sight.

"Would you like to tell me about them"? I asked before I could stop myself, looking at him with curious eyes.

He looked surprised for a moment, but gave a small smile and nodded his head, starting to tell me about his life as a pirate.

I leaned back and listened, amazed by the stories.

After a few hours a was on my way to bed, I was thinking about the stories that Marco had told me about his family.

It sounded amazing to say the least, and they sounded like good people.

" _Well they should be since Marco likes them so much"_ I thought.

Marco was a good person, even if he was a pirate, he had honor and pride. And just thinking about how his crew is tearing the grand line apart to find only one man…

If someone from the Marines disappeared they were to be thought of as dead. Maybe if it was a high rank Marine they would search for him or her, but a normal soldier? No.

" _It seems like pirates have even more honor than the honorable marines"_ Ace thought in despise.

" _I wish I have never even joined the damn marines, but it was for my brothers, not for me._

 _And come to think about it, as long as I'm here, i might even do some good."_ And with that thought, I walked up to my desk and began to write.

 _-OMAKE-_

Whitebeard was sitting in his chair looking out over the ocean.

He was beyond worried, Marco, his strongest son had been missing for some time now, and he was starting to lose hope of ever finding him.

He knew it was a possibility that he was already dead considering what had happened that dreadful day, but he couldn't let that thought get to him.  
Marco was strong. And he had to have faith in him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the voices of his children, they seemed excited about something.

He watched as Thatch ran up to him screaming words he didn't quite understood, but took the newspaper he was handed.

And as he read the article, he understood why they had such and reaction, and continued to read with wide eyes.

 **Marco the Phoenix Captured and awaiting execution**

 **A few weeks ago today, Marco the Phoenix was successfully captured and is now awaiting execution at the prison Impel Down, where torture and starvation is just a regular day, says a reliable source.**

" _ **Yeah, torture is just as normal as breathing in impel down, sometimes you can almost hear him scream 2 levels up, not as much everyday thought since he is barley allowed to eat, but there is this guy that for some reason always tend to his wounds and makes sure that he gets something to eat. I don't understand why, we don't owe him anything really."**_

 **It was during a storm that the Marines managed to neutralize and capture the notorious pirate that is known to be Edward Newgate's, also known as Whitebeard, second in command.**

 **Whitebeard is currently searching the entire grand line for his missing crew member, destroying everything in his path if needed.**

 **Just how far will he go to get his commander back?**

 **The execution is scheduled February 15** **th** **on Marine ford.**

The article made whitebeards blood boil.

February 15th was a mere week away, and his eyes were black with hate and rage as he looked up.

"Set sail for Marine ford". He ordered, no one protested as they set sail.


	3. Bad news

"Vice Admiral Ace"! A voice behind me yelled.

I turned around and raised an eyebrow at the young marine running towards me.

I had just finished my shift on level six and was heading to bed.

"Yes"? I asked, wanting to get this over with so I could go to bed. I was beat!

"Sengoku-san wants to meet you right away" The young Marine said doing a salute.

I sighed deeply, I wished they wouldn't do that, I was an vice admiral yes, but I hadn't been in the field for almost a year and the fact that I had such a high rank was kind of the reason that I other guards didn't really like me. They were jealous. "Did he say what he wanted"? I asked, deciding to ignore the whole salute thing.

"No sir, just that he wanted to see you right away"!

I sighed again.

"Guess I won't be sleeping for a while huh"? I thought walking past the marine towards Magellan's office.

As I walked inside, I noticed the serious expression on Sengoku's face and frowned.

Was something wrong? I hadn't been doing pranks for a while so there was no way I was in trouble.

"You called for me Sengoku-San"? I said in a professional tone even though I was known as the prankster of the whole marine force and as crazy as Garp, I knew when to act serious. After all, there was more reasons behind my high rank than only being crazy strong.

"Yes, I did. I have come to the decision that the transport of Marco the Phoenix is due to happened earlier than expected. We were planning on transporting him on February 14th but instead it will happened on February 2." Sengoku said.

"What? But that's almost 2 weeks before his execution." I said, confused as to why they would decide to move him so early.

"Yes yes I know, but apparently the papers got hold of the information that the commander is being held here, AND when and where the execution is about to take place. We cannot risk Whitebeard getting hold of the news and try to retrieve him on the way to Marine ford. It's too risky."

Sengoku sighed and closed his eyes before continuing.

"This is where you come into the picture. I wants you, and you alone to transport Marco the phoenix from Impel down to Marine ford. You got a young face and it is less likely for Whitebeard to attack a single small boat than a fleet of Marine warships".

I could only stare at him, completely in shock.

"they want ME to transport him to Marine ford? ON MY OWN"? was all I could think.

"Wha… you do realize I was a vice admiral, right? My face has been in the newspaper WAY more than once. Even if it was for a prank, something crazy I did or whatever. It's NO secret to the world that I'm a marine, if whitebeard sees me he'll kill me without a second thought." I argued.

"You ARE a vice admiral, Ace! And won't be dressed as a Marine. You'll go undercover as a fisherman. The chance is that even if the whitebeards would notice you, they would pass by without a second thought. After all, what is more important. A fisherman or their Second in command." Sengoku said, giving me a look that clearly said that he would not change his mind.

"Why me" I asked putting my head into my hands.

"What do you mean by that?" Sengoku asked.

"Nothing… I Just…" I started, but stopped mid-sentence, not wanting to or being able to put my thoughts into words.

Sengoku sighed, starting to get irritated.

"It dosen't matter. You will do as I tell you. This isn't something you can choose. This is an order." Sengoku said in a demanding voice.

"You haven't been on the field for a year now, but you are still a vice admiral Ace. You have a duty to fulfill and you will do as you are told. You are dismissed".

I stood up slowly and walked out of the office.

I had a horrible feeling in my chest that I couldn't place, and I couldn't get Marco out of my head either.

My feet carried me out of the prison and to a small part of the Iceland with trees. I walked through them and stopped at the edge of the small Iceland, staring out over the ocean, thinking about the conversation with Sengoku, and the realization that in only 3 days I would leave with Marco to Marine Ford.

I closed my eyes felt tears in my eyes and I clenched my fists as I thought that I would literally bring him to his own death.

I had dreamed about a reality where we were able to escape together, living our lives free.

But Even though I knew his execution was inevitable, I had never thought that I would play an active part in his death. And the thought gave me a horrible feeling that I didn't knew what to make of.

The thought about Marco dead made me want to scream and kill everyone who ever even thought about bringing him harm.

I wanted Marco safe. Even if that meant him staying in prison for life where I could keep an eye on him and make sure he was well fed and healthy.

But that would only bring him misery.

Marco was a pirate.

And no pirate would ever find happiness in a prison, safe or not.

During my talks with Marco, he had shared countless stories about his adventures with the whitebeards, things that I myself could only dream of. But the most important thing was, that no matter how hard I would try to make his staying in the prison a bearable one, it would never be enough.

Marco never wanted safety, the only thing he carved was freedom. He wanted, no NEEDED to be free in order to be happy.

And that he would probably rather die than be forced to give that up.

"Damn it" I cursed before sinking to my knees, letting the tears fall as I looked out over the ocean once again as the pain from being torn between duty and heart ripped me apart.

 **-x-x-x-x-x-**

 **YO GUYS!**

 **Sorry for keeping you waiting for so long, buut work is a jerk.**

As you can see things are escalating, and fast.

I really hope that you liked this chapter, and please leave a review about what you think!:D


	4. To Marine Ford

Ace sat in his room, staring out from the window as the sun began to set.

In only a few short hours he and Marco would set out towards Marine ford and Ace had barley slept all night.

He couldn't get the feeling away that this somehow was a huge mistake.

The worst part was that there was nothing he could do about it, just as Sengoku said, he had a duty to fulfill, if not for himself, then for his brothers. He had to keep them safe.

Ace smiled gently as he thought of his two younger brothers, Sabo and Luffy. He could barely remember the last time he saw them, it had been so many years. What was it again, 5? 6? He wasn't sure, but he was either 14 or 15 when he left. He missed them so much it hurt.

At first, they had sent letters, but after a while Ace just stopped answering. It hurt not to have contact with them, but them not being proud about him for giving up his dreams hurt even worse.

Was it the same for Marco and his crew? Did it hurt them to be apart like this just as much? Ace had heard stories that they were just like a family, The captain calling them all his sons, and the crew called their captain Oyaji. It sounded to good to be true, but what if it wasn't. What if there actually was a crew out there With a man ready to fight for someone he sees as his son, and hundreds of men wanting their lost brother back. A brother who were taken away by force when all they wanted was freedom.

" _Sounds familiar doesn't it dear brothers"_ he thought as he watched the sky.

Ace sighed, it was almost completely dark now, it was time to go.

 **-x-**

Marco Was kicked awake by someone, and as he came to he saw 5 or so guards standing around him together with Magellan. At first Marco was confused, but then he remembered what today was.

Today was the day he was being shipped of too Marine ford.

He suppressed a sigh and raised up, and couldn't help the small smirk as the guards was clearly terrified of being too close to him, but that smirk quickly disappeared as someone slapped him hard.

"You better Wipe that smile of your face now scum, cuz you won't be smiling where you are going". One of the guards said, probably the same one that just hit me. I faintly recognized him from somewhere but I didn't remember where so I just raised my eyebrow at him before starting to walk, Guards in front of me and behind me.

There was something heavy in the air as they guided me through the prison, and I couldn't help but notice how quiet it became as we passed the inmates and guards. I could feel the stares from the other inmates watching me being led through the prison and forced me to keep my head high. It stayed quiet all the way through the prison, any talk or sound died down as we passed. It felt weird.

As we got closer to the main entrance the tension only grew stronger, It was like a massive weight was being put inside of me almost making me fall to my knees. My whole being seemed to scream at me to take my chance and run, but I just couldn't bring myself to fight, the torture and lack of food and rest had taken its toll on me.

As we stopped outside the prison, I wondered what Ace was up to, I hadn't seen him for a few days and I missed him. He was the one who had taken care of me during my time in the prison, tending to my wounds and keeping me fed. I let out a breath as the cold night air hit me and i looked up at the clouded dark sky. I felt the corners of my mouth tug downwards. I had hoped for stars. I had always enjoyed sitting outside at night watching the stars, and I realized with a streak of sorrow that I would never again be able to enjoy those moments again. In a few days, I would be at Marine ford, getting executed for my sins, probably with the whole world watching.

I would never again be able to listen to Oyaji's stories, spar with my brothers or enjoy a good adventure, hell I'd even take a whole month worth of pranks with open arms if it meant I could meet my family just one more time.

I stumbled as someone pushed me forward, I glared backwards at the offender.

"Get a move on pirate scum, your ride is waiting" The marine said with an evil smirk that made Marco's insides turn, but he simply gave an unimpressed look and turned back forward, spotting a small ship and an unmoving form next to it.

" _Are they kidding? One guy? They think one guy is going to stop me from escaping"?_ Marco thought confused as to why they would make such a stupid move, but As the figure raised it's head Marco felt his heart skip several beats as he recognized the perfectly sculpted face spotted with freckles, and he understood. His escort was Ace.

"You think we didn't notice the looks you gave him from your cell?" One of the guards whispered in his ear, and he felt dread filling him. Ace being his escort wasn't a coincidence. Ace was escorting him because they knew that Ace was the only one he wouldn't attack Ace had taken care of him, so he was indebted to him. Attacking Ace would be the most lowly thing, something he would NEVER do, and they knew that.

"How do you know i won't just kick him overboard" I said, trying my best to keep the anger out of my voice, trying to sound as bored as usual.

"You won't" A second guard answered. He sounded so casual that it wounded like he was discussing the weather, and I hated him so much I gritted my teeth only because I knew he was right.

I was almost by the boat now, and I looked back at where Ace stood leaning against the boat with his arms crossed trying to read his emotions, but it was so dark outside I could barley make out his face, and what I could see was watching us approach emotionless, almost bored.

He didn't even move and inch as I walked past him onto the boat, but exchanged a few hushed words with the guards before boarding himself.

I was led into a small cell at the lowest deck with on small window so that I could just watch the sky.

I soon felt the boat shift and guessed we had set sail, and I hid my face in my cuffed hands, finally letting the tension get the better of me, I cried myself to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, this will be a chapter with a lot of feelings, mostly bad ones. Okay, like, only bad ones. I'm not sure I'm happy with this chapter though and might re-write it later. But for now, I hope you enjoy. I know you have been waiting forever for this! :3**

 **x.x.x.x**

I woke up with the feeling of being watched, I looked around and saw Ace standing outside the cage looking at me with an emotionless expression.

I stared right back at him for a while, before he just shook his head, stuck something inside the cage through a small opening by the floor and left.

I watched him leave with a heavy feeling in my chest, I looked over whatever he had given me and realized it was food and a water bottle, but I wasn't hungry. I was thinking about Ace and how emotionless and cold he was acting towards me, it felt strange, I had really thought we had something but now I wasn't so sure. Whatever we had it was probably one sided. The Marines was smart to have Ace being his guard, It was the only Marine Marco wouldn't lay one finger on even if it meant his own death. The chance of Pops attacking a young man out alone in a small boat was also very unlikely, maybe the Navy was smarter than he had given them credit for.

I can't even hope for my family to find me now, because if they did, Ace would be killed. I would never live that through, It feels like Ace has become a part of me, I needed him to function properly. Ace had taken care of me for so long, tended to my wounds, he feed me, kept me entertained. I wouldn't be alive without him.

It wasn't until later that I realized something, As Ace dragged me of the boat and chained me too a tree before walking over to a fire that I understood that Ace hadn't done that out of the kindness of his heart, he did it so I would still be alive for the execution. Ace didn't care about me at all.

The realization tore through me and it felt like someone had pushed me into the sea, like someone was slowly cutting my heart into pieces, like someone had poured lead into my stomach and was slowly burning me alive all at once, but I couldn't do anything but sit there and stare towards the ocean, slowly falling asleep.

I dreamt that I was back on the moby, I stood on the head of the gigantic whale and felt the wind in my hair and the sun on my skin, warming me. Suddenly I felt arms wrap around my waist from behind, and I knew by instinct who it was and melted into the embrace. I felt completely at peace.

Suddenly, the picture changed and I found myself on a battle field. Everything around me was complete chaos, my family fighting to the death. I started to run, fighting my way through the mass of marines.

I heard someone call my name, and turned around to see Ace running towards me. I felt relieved, knowing he was alright, but it soon turned to horror as I saw one of my brothers sneak up on him. I tried to scream but my voice didn't work. But just as my brother and crew mate was about to end the life of the man I love, I woke up.

Panting, I looked over to the sleeping form of Ace with a heavy feeling in my heart. I wished I could go back to my family, to sail the sea once again, to be free, but I wanted Ace to be with me, and I knew I couldn't have that, and It broke my heart.

 **Ace's POV**

As soon as Marco was locked up and I had boarded the ship, I lowered the sails, wanting nothing more than to leave this stinking prison as soon as possible, and It felt nice to have something to distract myself with, but I still couldn't stop my thoughts from wandering as I chained Marco to a tree when we stopped at an Island for the night, I felt so torn. I knew I had to stay with the marines for the sake of my brothers, to protect them, but I also wanted Marco and the life that came with, it felt like I could challenge the world and beyond and win with him by my side, being with him felt like home and like the biggest adventure in a lifetime all at once. It was like he had found part of him that he never knew was missing.

But of course, I knew that could never happened. In less than two weeks Marco would be executed at Marine ford, and there was nothing I can do about it.

But for some reason, I can't accept that. He just couldn't. How can I accept being a part of this? I knew I should, and I knew I had too, it's my duty as a marine. I sent a look at Marco, seeing him asleep, fidgeting as if he had a nightmare… I promptly stood up and walked over to a tree, hitting it hard enough to break it in half. It felt good. I needed that.

I sighed as I walked back to the fire, Laying down facing the ocean, watching it until I fell asleep, thinking about how wonderful must be to be a pirate, living a day at a time, wild and free.

 **Normal POV**

When morning came along, Marco had all but forgotten the dream from last night, the only thing he could remember was the conclusion that Ace had played him all along, there was no other logical explanation. He was a Marine, and Marco was a pirate, and they needed him alive for the execution, he knew that, and when they realized Ace was the key to that, they probably used it to their full advantage. It made perfect sense in Marco's mind, but it didn't make the feeling of betrayal hurt any less.

He was led onto the ship and into his cell by a silent Ace before being left alone.

He sighed and looked out the small window in his cell, and when he said small, he meant small. He could just see the sky from where he was. After3 days had gone by without anything happening, he noticed that the clouds looked a bit too dark for his liking, he was worried if Ace would be alright all by himself if a storm broke out. Speaking of Ace, he had barley seen him since they stopped at the Island

Turns out a storm wasn't the only problem of the day. Not long after the storm started, a loud crash was heard and Marco cursed loudly as water started too pool into the small prison as more loud crashes was heard throughout the boat.

" _This is so not my year, is it"_ He thought as he pushed himself into a corner, trying to avoid the water that would drain him the second it came in contact with him, but no matter his dire situation, he couldn't help but to worry about Ace, was he a devil fruit user too? Even if he wasn't there wasn't much hope surviving a grand line storm in a boat with a hole in it, but he could hope.

His thoughts was interrupted by the sound of running footsteps and felt hope filling him, thinking that Ace had come for him, but as the door was thrown open he quickly realized that none of the 3 men in front of him was even close to Ace.

The leader of the trio, or at least Marco assumed he was, for some reason, smiled wickedly as he set eyes on Marco, knowing instantly who he was.

"well, what do we have here! Marco the phoenix if i'm not mistaken"? He said with a sick gleam in his eyes.

"Heard you got captured by the marines, stupid move don't ya think?" He said with an evil smile.

Marco didn't answer but continued to stare at him with a bored look.

"Well, it can't all be blamed on you I suppose, the Marines was tipped off after all, knew you were injured and the location where you were". He said with a laugh when he realized Marco wouldn't answer.

That actually got Marco's attention. Someone had tipped the Marines off? The only ones who had the information to do that were his crewmembers, and there was no way someone from the crew would out another like that.

The guy must have seen something in his expression because he laughed even louder.

"You didn't know huh? well, dosen't matter now does it! You'll be dead soon anyway, but, now that I think about it, why don't I just kill you now to end your misery?"

Marco felt his stomach sink, someone had betrayed them?

"Where Is Ace" He heard himself ask, dreading the answer. If these guys was here, it meant the ship was under attach during a storm, and Ace was all alone up there to deal with it.

"Ace"? the leader asked irritated of being ignored once again. "Ah, that little prick upstairs? He left the ship the second we boarded, probably knew it was done for and saved himself." he said with a grin before turning around to walk out.

"Come on men, there is nothing here of value. Enjoy your swim, Phoenix! He laughed the last part, pointing over his shoulder to the rising water level. Marco had almost forgotten about it, but he felt himself not caring.

Someone had betrayed them, Ace had left him to die. He was all alone.


	6. chapter 6

Ace was pissed. No, scratch that, he was LIVID! And if it hadn't been for the sea stone bullet in his leg and the sea water drenching him he would have litterally been fuming with anger.

Mostly he was mad at himself for getting into this situation, which no matter what angle you looked from, was very, very bad. He had let his guard down and now he was paying the price for it.

The storm had come out of nowhere which was to be excpected when traveling on the grand line, but the storm was bad, and Ace who was alone managing the small ship had to work his ass of so it wouldn't sink.

But that wasn't what made the situation so dire, oh no.

Somewhere during the midst of the storm, and enemy pirate ship had managed to sneak up on him and before he knew it the ship had shook terribly, he had tried to stay on his feet, but the deck was slippery from all the water and he slipped and fell hard onto the deck.

He cursed and was about to stand when he was grabbed from behind and thrown forcibly into the railing, hitting his head.

It didn't take him long to get his bearings back, but when he did it was already too late, he was surrounded.

He was exhausted, hungry, surrounded by the sea in the middle of a grand line storm on his own, and was completley out numbered. Ace growled as he looked around him, he didn't stand a chance and he knew it, but he wouldn't go down without a fight.

Ace sprung up and aimed a kick at the guy standing the closest, he felt more than heard the ribs crackign as his foot conected with the man before he aimed a punch at another. The fight didn't last very long. Suddenly Ace felt a sharp pain in his left thigh and fell, it didn't even take a moment for the men to be over him.

 **x.x.x**

Ace growled silently as he glared at the leader of the group that had ambushed him. The wound in his leg hurt horribly, and his whole body ached after the beating he got. He would be very surpriced if he didn't have any cracked bones anywhere, and Ace cursed the sea stone bullet in his leg for making his devild fruit imobile.

Also, the leader looked way to pleased with himself for Ace's liking.

"So, what are such a young marine boy doing out here by himself huh"? He said with a smirk that made Ace want to vomit, it only made his fat face look even more disgusting in Ace's oppinion

"None of you god damned buissnies scum" Ace spat out, he excpected a kick, or maybe a punch, but all he got was a very creepy laugh in return.

Ace frowned as the man turned around and started walking towards the door leading to the dungeons.

Ace's heart froze, he had almost forgot about Marco. When the ship had shook, it had been because of a cannonball hitting the ship. Ace didn't know exactly where, but it meant that Marco would be in great danger if he wasn't taken out of the cell, he could, WOULD most likley die!

"Hey! where do you think you are going you fucking assface, get the fuck back here"! Ace shouted, but the man must have heard the desperation in his voice, hell, even Ace himself could hear it, because he only laughed as he walked through the door.

Ace trashed and cursed, trying to shake of the hands trying to hold him back, yelling at them to let him go.

The second the man came back through the door, Ace was screaming at him, demanding to know what he did to Marco, the man only laughed as he walked towards his ship, signalizing for his men to follow.

"The man was already dead, drowned!" He laughed out, And Ace felt like his heart stopped.

"You are lying! I know you are" He screamed, but deep inside he wasn't so sure, what if Marco actually was dead? No, he couldn't think like that. Marco was alive, he HAD to be. He couldn't die, it wasn't possible.

"When the boss wants someone dead, they'll die, commander or not" The man yelled over the storm.

Ace gasped in shock as the ship shook once again, and he could hear the loud booms from the cannons as they fired into the hull of the ship.

Ace felt the panick rise, the ship was built with an extra layer, it made it a little slower but more sturdy than a normal ship, but at this rate the lower deck would be water filled within minutes. If he wanted to make it out of this alive, he would have to act fast.

 **x.x.x.x.x Warning for blood and self harm.**

Ace quickly checked the ropes that bound him, they were tight and he knew he wouldn't be able to break them with force alone, but they had been stupid when they bound his arms along his sides instead of securing them behind his back, escaping would be hard, but it was possible.

He was caught of guard as a large wave sent a load of water over the railing bringing him with him, for a moment, he thought that it would bring him with it into the ocean, but his side hit the railing and when the water dissapeared he coughed and he took in deep shaking breaths, he shifted a little, but stopped when he felt something in his left pocket, trying not to get his hopas up, he desperatly shifted his leg upwards so he could reach it with his hand. He almost cried when he realized what it was. It was the knife his brothers had given him when he set out to be a marine. Sabo had carved the blade and Luffy decorated the sheet, In Ace's oppinion it was the most beautiful knife on earth.

He carfully slid the blade out of the sheet in his pocket, carefull so he couldn't cut himself on the sharp blade and looked down on it. He knew what he had to do, but he wished he could use a different knife, any knife except this one, not that it wasn't good for the perpous, it was actually perfect, but it was given to him by his little brothers, and they would raise hell on earth if they knew what he was thinking.

But that didn't matter right now, if he didn't do this, he and Marco would die. He would cut his own leg open, Using his most precious posession.

Ace changed his possition, sitting with his back against the railing with his injured leg resting against the deck to relax it. He would have to make an incision from the hole where the bullet went in to about an inch up, and it had to be deep so that he could use the knife to go under the bullet to push it upwards, but not too deep, he didn't want to bleed to death after all.

As he positioned the knife, the thought of how crazy all this was hit him, but he shook the thought away and after a deep breath, he started.

The pain hit him at once, it was sharp, excruciating, and Ace felt tears fill his closed eyes and he had to bite his lower lip hard to stop himself from crying out in pain. when he was about half way he had to stop and gasped for breath and he sobbed cuietly. the only thing he could think of was how much he wanted to be back with his brothers on Dawn, to get away from here, the pain, the marines, everything. But he knew he couldn't think like that right now. He had to be strong, so after a few deep breaths he put the knife against the pulsating wound and braced himself before cutting into it, this time, Ace did scream, if making the wound had hurt, cutting into the fresh knife wound was pure turture. But he didn't stop, he continued even when the amount of blood scared him, when the tears made his vision blurry and the snot ran down his face he only cut deeper.

He could now feel the tip of the bullet, only a little more. He drew in a breath of relife when he could feel the tip of the knife going under the bullet, he was almost there. He took a few more breaths before pushing upwards. He had to do it slowly, he didn't know what state the bullet was in, and it would be very bad if evel the smallest piece was left inside of him.

pushing upwards didn't hurt as bad, but it was still extremley uncomfortable and the second the bullet popped out of the wound and fell onto the deck, Ace slumped in reliefe, breathing hard. He sat there for a few seconds taking calming breaths, watching as the blood washed of the knife in the rain, his blood.

Ace quickly sat up straight and jumped to his feet, cursing as he put too much weight on his injured leg, he had to get out of the rain so he could use his powers to burn the ropes of, it rained to heavy outside for him to do that, but as soon as he stepped foot inside he felt his fire returning and made quick work of the ropes as he ran through the corridoor to the prison cell.

When he reached the small stair he gasped, the whole floor was water filled, it would reach him to the waist if he went down there.

"MARCO!" He yelled out, terrefied that he would get no answer from the male.

"Ace"? A tired voice answered and Ace felt like he would start to cry again when he heard Marco's voice.

"Yeah, it's me, are you alright?" Ace asked

"Define 'Alright'" came the answer and Ace had to snort. Of course Marco wasn't alright, he was probably soaked.

"I'll be right back" Ace yelled and ran up the stairs. There was no way he could walk down in to the water and make it back up again, he was completley drained, he would have to get the cell door key to marco, and he would need something that would float. When he reached the door to the kitchen he quickly opened it and went inside, walking directly towards the cabinets. He took a hold of one of the cabinet doors and ripped if straight of it's hinges before running back towards the prison.

"Marco?" He yelled and took a relieved breath as he got a groan in response, it mean he was alive at the very least.

"I'm going to send over the key, can you make it to the cell door"? He asked as he checked the room over, there was a large hole to the right of the stair making a perfect current of water towards Marco's cell.

A low thud from Marco's direction told him that Marco had probably made it to the cell door

"Okay, i'm sending it over, be ready" Ace said before putting the cabinet door in the water and the key on top before letting go. It wasn't long before he heard the clang on the cell door open and a wave of reliefe washed over him as he watched Marco wade over towards him, colapsing as he reached the part of the stairs that wasn't covered with water. Ace ran over and dragged him up the stairs as he cursed.

"Fuck it Marco, you can't collapse now, fucking shit if we dosen't get out of here we will sink together with the ship"

When Marco didn't answer or got up, Ace looked down and cursed a string of curses that would have made the most awful pirate blush when he realised that Marco, had passed out.

He continued to curse as he dragged Marco through the corridoor and up the stairs to the deck and into the storm that was still raging on. He slipped a few times on the wet deck, but soon he had made it to the railing. when he hauled the passed out pirate onto his shoulder, he realized that he still held the knife he had used only minutes earlier, and put it back into his pocket for safe keeping before jumping onto the railing. As he stood there, watching the raging ocean, the adrenaline started to leave his body, and as the impact of everything he had learned, excperienced and done finally hit him, he closed his eyes, and jumped.


End file.
